Captive
by Lunamaria
Summary: Being Marak's wife meant surrending her pride as an Englishwoman.


**Title**: Captive  
Pairing: Marak Six Fingers, Kate Winslow  
Type: One-Shot  
Authoress: Lunamaria  
Series: The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy  
Setting: After, Close Kin

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimer Applies.

**CAPTIVE **

Marak watched her carefully.

Sable and Irina were dismissed from lessons that day. Sable, who had grown fond and madly in love with Tinsel in the short eight months she'd been under the lake, and mad with adoration for him, was off spending who-knows-what time with her Goblin husband. Irina, Marak had told Kate, was off with Thaydar visiting the tailors for new gowns- plenty of yellow ones. Thaydar worshiped her, and Irina did him as well.

Thus, leaving Marak and Kate to themselves for her magic lesson.

"You murderous little elf," He piped out an amused laugh, watching over his wife's shoulder. The motives behind her husband were ambiguous, and Kate, quite often, found herself puzzled by him. Marak's goblin hand of six fingers, quickly reminding Kate she was married to the Goblin King, making her his wife, pushed his long mane back.

Therein, making her the Goblin Queen.

She scowled frightfully at the King, who only found more humor in her, and took a quick note that he picked a perfect wife. It was true the Goblin King enjoyed toying with his elfish bride, but he loved her, and the jokes he played on her made no harm, being in her nature after all; the elfish nature, that is.

She plopped with a grunt onto the three-legged stool beneath her, and mumbled something about his jokes beneath her breath. The golden snake appeared from around Kate's neck mumbling some number again of how many wives had attempted to murder the king and how many using elfish magic.

It was the third time the shimmering snake appeared during these lessons.

Marak grinned proudly, knowing his wife had become rather cross.

"Marak," Kate sighed in his direction. "You know I wouldn't really want to kill you."

Marak tapped his six fingers quickly among the davenport he sat on. He gave the kind of smirk he'd given her to last two times her magic had tried to kill him.

"I'm not oblivious, you troublesome wife of mine," Kate cringed, "You and I both know quite well that you have military magic." Marak stood from his chair, resting his hands over Kate's thin shoulders. She glared his way, tiring of the magic lesson near this point.

He countered her, pulling himself close enough to Kate so that she could feel the warmth of his breath.

Kate fumed. "You blatantly don't love me, Marak Six-Fingers." She added, indignantly.

The Goblin King was well aware of Kate's temperaments by this stage of their marriage, and just what peaked her irritation. In the background, Kate's clumsy, dizzy dog walked in odd patterns, as Marak was close enough to steal a kiss from his wife.

He felt her heartbeat beneath his hand as his enchanted hand rested on her heart.

Marak watched the thin scars on her palms that had been made during their wedding ceremony, making officially, Kate Winslow the second Goblin Queen to Marak.

"I'm terribly glad Catspaw takes after me-" She hardly had the time to finish about her son as Marak plunged her into a fierce kiss. Anything a King did, especially a Goblin King, was passionate. It didn't take long for Kate to relax into the kiss, having grown quite used to his tender affections over the years from spending her wedding night crying to having Marak Catspaw.

She found it easy to slip her fingers through his coarse looking, but truly quite soft, duel colored hair. His six fingered hand gently touched the back of Kate's neck, shocking creeps down her spine, forcing her to lean closer to Marak.

She scowled. Not for long though, because in the end, as Marak, she found it quite enjoyable.

Just then, Emily Winslow, sister of Kate, burst through the door cheerfully.

Kate and Marak pulled apart irritably, Marak growling beneath his goblin breath,

"M, you have perfected disturbing my important affairs."

He referred to the dozens of times she had burst into his court sessions, and other such things, with no explanations and cares as to the important things she'd disturbed. She only promptly promised "just this once," only to repeat it a week or so later. Marak saw Seylin lowered behind her, with his elf-goblin features aghast with distress. No doubt due to dear M.

As Marak firmly scowled at Emily and Seylin, Kate's dog bumped into the wall.

Emily quickly rambled, "JUST THIS ONCE!"

Marak Six fingers grumbled, shooting a look at Seylin, making him cringe.  
He looked at Kate, and she smiled at him, as he quickly said,

"Next time, you dangerous little elf of mine. Next time"


End file.
